The Nautilus pompiliuscrus also known as the walking nautilus is the only nautilus that can walk on the sea bed. It has come a long way since the ammonites and is slightly more evolved than the Chambered Nautilus. The pollution of the ocean's surface has made killed off many nautiluses but they have now adapted to stay deeper for longer. They have gotten smaller in size to avoid the other marine creatures that have moved to the deeper waters. The colors on the shell have changed to the majority of ti being brown, as white is easier to see in the dark. Their senses have grown stronger as they are now living in pitch black where relying on senses is all they have.
Although the numbers of the Chambered Nautilus has decreased the walking nautilus won't let the genus go extinct.
Scientific Classification Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Cephalopoda
Order: Nautilida
Family: Nautiliae
Genus: Nautilus
Species: N. pompilius crus
HabitatThe walking nautilus lives in tropical waters in the western Pacific Ocean where the Chambered Nautilus used to live. The nautilus lives at much deeper depths where there is no natural sunlight at all. The temperatures are always cold with temperatures of 2-4 degrees. This leaves a harsh climate to live in. Without the natural sunlight the amount of food to eat of the bottom is limited and the nautilus had to change its eating habits in order to survive.
Adaptations
Behavioral Adaptation #1: Vibrations The walking nautilus has adapted a sensory system that can tell when something is moving around by feeling the vibrations. When another sea creature is swimming around the nautilus will be able to tell because there are special sensory nerves on its tentacles that would allow the nautilus to feel them. This would then result in the nautilus staying completely still until the creature passes by. This could help save its life because it is so dark that there is no way of seeing what is approaching you, so every vibration is taken with monitored with caution.
Behavioral Adaptation #2: Mating call To communicate with each other during the mating season the walking nautiluses have a special call that is in a frequency that only they can hear. By only making the nautiluses hear the call, they are not in danger of predators finding out their positions. It would allow them to reproduce without being in danger. The call could also be used just to find others when they don't know where the other is. This will be a lot because it will be pitch black so communication is essential. The mate call would help to keep the number of walking nautiluses rising and hopefully back to the same number as their relative's the Chambered Nautilus.
Structural Adaptation #1: Legs The walking nautilus was given legs to help it move around on the sea floor. Most of their times will be spent on the bottom because its too toxic to go up towards the light. The legs would help it to stay put in one spot and save energy as opposed to floating and having to work to harder to control the buoyancy to stay in that same spot. The smaller size that they are now would be a hazard for creatures that try to eat them because their ink is sprayed and then that creature chokes on them.
Structural Adaptation #2: Shell Colour It is always important to be camouflaged if you could be some fish's dinner. The shell of the walking nautilus has changed from a light brown and white to dark brown. This would help to be hidden at the bottom of the sea and not be spotted by a predator. The shell would keep other deep sea animals from attacking an easy target.
Physiological Adaption: Digestive System The walking nautilus had to have an adaptation in its digestive system because it was going to be eating different types of food that could only be found at the bottom of the sea. The main difference was eating the rotting or dead fish that fall to the bottom of sea opposed to fresh ones found at the top. The Nautilus was able to digest other types of foods if it wanted to survive. THis helped to continue the species and to further develop it to the very harsh climate in the deep sea.
Fossil Animal Modern Animal Future Animal
The Nautilus pompilius crus also known as the walking nautilus is the only nautilus that can walk on the sea bed. It has come a long way since the ammonites and is slightly more evolved than the Chambered Nautilus. The pollution of the ocean's surface has made killed off many nautiluses but they have now adapted to stay deeper for longer. They have gotten smaller in size to avoid the other marine creatures that have moved to the deeper waters. The colors on the shell have changed to the majority of ti being brown, as white is easier to see in the dark. Their senses have grown stronger as they are now living in pitch black where relying on senses is all they have.
Although the numbers of the Chambered Nautilus has decreased the walking nautilus won't let the genus go extinct.
Scientific Classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Cephalopoda
Order: Nautilida
Family: Nautiliae
Genus: Nautilus
Species: N. pompilius crus
Habitat The walking nautilus lives in tropical waters in the western Pacific Ocean where the Chambered Nautilus used to live. The nautilus lives at much deeper depths where there is no natural sunlight at all. The temperatures are always cold with temperatures of 2-4 degrees. This leaves a harsh climate to live in. Without the natural sunlight the amount of food to eat of the bottom is limited and the nautilus had to change its eating habits in order to survive.
Adaptations
Behavioral Adaptation #1: Vibrations
The walking nautilus has adapted a sensory system that can tell when something is moving around by feeling the vibrations. When another sea creature is swimming around the nautilus will be able to tell because there are special sensory nerves on its tentacles that would allow the nautilus to feel them. This would then result in the nautilus staying completely still until the creature passes by. This could help save its life because it is so dark that there is no way of seeing what is approaching you, so every vibration is taken with monitored with caution.
Behavioral Adaptation #2: Mating call
To communicate with each other during the mating season the walking nautiluses have a special call that is in a frequency that only they can hear. By only making the nautiluses hear the call, they are not in danger of predators finding out their positions. It would allow them to reproduce without being in danger. The call could also be used just to find others when they don't know where the other is. This will be a lot because it will be pitch black so communication is essential. The mate call would help to keep the number of walking nautiluses rising and hopefully back to the same number as their relative's the Chambered Nautilus.
Structural Adaptation #1: Legs
The walking nautilus was given legs to help it move around on the sea floor. Most of their times will be spent on the bottom because its too toxic to go up towards the light. The legs would help it to stay put in one spot and save energy as opposed to floating and having to work to harder to control the buoyancy to stay in that same spot. The smaller size that they are now would be a hazard for creatures that try to eat them because their ink is sprayed and then that creature chokes on them.
Structural Adaptation #2: Shell Colour It is always important to be camouflaged if you could be some fish's dinner. The shell of the walking nautilus has changed from a light brown and white to dark brown. This would help to be hidden at the bottom of the sea and not be spotted by a predator. The shell would keep other deep sea animals from attacking an easy target.
Physiological Adaption: Digestive System
The walking nautilus had to have an adaptation in its digestive system because it was going to be eating different types of food that could only be found at the bottom of the sea. The main difference was eating the rotting or dead fish that fall to the bottom of sea opposed to fresh ones found at the top. The Nautilus was able to digest other types of foods if it wanted to survive. THis helped to continue the species and to further develop it to the very harsh climate in the deep sea.